


defender of the crown;

by unintentionallyangsty



Series: drive the dark things away; [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), Thor: Ragnarok (2017) - Fandom
Genre: (mild), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Brunnhilde | Valkyrie (Marvel), Brodinsons, Brotherly Love, Crying, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Loki Lives (Marvel), New Asgard, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), The Revengers - Freeform, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Torture, Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26786560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unintentionallyangsty/pseuds/unintentionallyangsty
Summary: When Loki is kidnapped by an unknown hostile force while Thor is out of the country on Avengers business, it's up to the Valkyrie to get him back.(Whumptober 2020 Prompt #2 Fill: Kidnapped).
Relationships: Brunnhilde | Valkyrie & Loki (Marvel), Loki & Thor, Loki & Thor (Marvel)
Series: drive the dark things away; [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949623
Comments: 28
Kudos: 197
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	defender of the crown;

**Author's Note:**

> (i've made it two days! *confetti emoji*)
> 
> Loki & the Valkyrie / Loki & Thor. Takes place in New Asgard. Loki is alive and Infinity War has decidedly not happened. 
> 
> Written for the Whumptober 2020 Prompt #2 Fill: Kidnapped.
> 
> **chapter warnings !** : mild torture and blood. 

“Lackey!” the Valkyrie did not bother to lower her voice as she strode into Thor’s (and, subsequently, Loki’s) house, and allowed the door to bounce against the opposite wall with a bang as she came to a stop in the middle of the kitchen. “Heimdall told me to come looking for you.” 

When silence was her only reply, Val frowned, and crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed the room. 

It didn’t look like much had changed since Thor had flown to the States the day before, though this in itself was not much of an oddity. 

Loki had a habit of tidying up after himself almost meticulously, and typically wouldn’t have left much of a signature of someone actually occupying the space, between Thor’s departure and now. 

Still, something uneasy twisted in the Valkyrie’s gut as she surveyed the darkened space, and she called out again.

“I think he’s still in a fuss about you missing the council meeting this morning!”

At the words, no one appeared from either of the back rooms, which was, Val decided, enough of a reason for her to progress further into the house without invitation. 

Not that she would have bothered to wait for one, anyway, on any other occasion. 

“Highness?” Val called, poking her head quickly into Thor’s room and, finding it empty, hastened into the small living space Loki usually occupied. 

To her dismay, the room itself was also empty, Loki’s favored quilt sitting on the floor next to the sofa, rather than neatly folded as per usual, the only indication that something might be amiss. 

There was a chance, Val considered as she bit at the corner of her lip, that the younger Odinson might simply be out and about in town, wandering the gardens or, if he was feeling particularly bold, exploring the small outlying towns outside Tønsberg. 

Then again, she was fairly sure she hadn’t seen him around the village since before Thor’s departure. And, as reckless and impulsive as he could be, Loki typically tended to leave a notice of his departing the confines of the village with at least one person, before he did so. 

Therefore, Val considered with a small and reluctant groan, that left her with two possibilities. 

One, Loki had finally grown tired of the tight quarters of the village, and left for good. 

Or, two, something more drastic had happened. 

The Valkyrie turned on her heel then, making to exit and consult Heimdall again on the matter--

Only for something at the very corner of the room to reflect off of the light from the window and catch her eye. 

And, upon approach, Val felt her heart sink sickeningly as she realized what the object was. 

One of Loki’s Sakaaran daggers, its jagged edge imbedded so deeply into the wall it had to have been thrust there with significant force. 

That, or it had missed its intended target. 

“Damn,” Val muttered, feeling her blood chilling slightly as the reality of the situation began to truly set in. 

“ _Shit_.” 

\---

Someone was talking, and Loki’s features twisted in discomfort as the noise railed uncomfortably against the steadily growing ache between his temples. 

“--Odinson…” 

Loki groaned slightly, his irritation building at the insistent voice. 

Thor was clearly talking in his sleep again. Irritating, but usually manageable with a swift kick to the shins. 

Only--

Loki felt his frown grow, and he shifted in preparation to lash out again. 

Only that was the problem. He didn’t shift. He _couldn’t_. 

Couldn’t move, beyond a small jolt of his right foot. 

“What in the Nine?” he whispered. 

Or, that was, _tried_ to whisper. In reality, all that successfully escaped him was a small, breathless huff.

His chest beginning to rise and fall more rapidly, now, Loki grit his teeth, swallowing thickly before he forced his heavy lids open. 

Almost immediately, he wished that he hadn’t. 

The world around him swam, the lights in whatever room he was in flashing in a dizzying array of colors as he willed the room to steady, breathing heavily through his nose, and fought the urge to vomit. 

“Mr. Odinson?” a voice spoke, again, and Loki nearly nearly jolted back at the sound of it. 

Would have, had he not had the presence of mind to at least register that such a sudden movement very well might have sent him back into unconsciousness. 

“Not--” he grimaced at how slurred his voice sounded, and swallowed again past the dryness of his mouth and throat before trying again, “Not--” 

“We know who you are.” the voice interrupted impatiently. 

_Clearly_ , Loki thought drily, though he forwent speaking again in favor of clenching his teeth against another wave of nausea. 

“A Son of Odin.” the voice continued. 

Loki paused, and felt himself frown at the words. 

There were few on Midgard who truly understood the gravity of his and Thor’s connection to Odin Allfather, and even less who cared. 

Why then, would this be of any importance? 

And, more pressingly, why was he being forced to consider such a question, at all? What circumstances had led him to _this_? 

Whatever _this_ was, of course, remained to be seen. 

The last Loki remembered, he had been bidding Thor farewell as he had boarded one of Stark’s jets to aid in yet another “Avengers” mission, promising for what felt like the thousandth time to call if he needed anything, and rolling his eyes slightly at Thor’s firm hug goodbye. 

_‘You’re only planning to be gone for a few days,’_ he recalled reminding his brother, though he could not have helped his melting into the embrace even if he had tried. 

Something about the memory made his throat constrict, now, and Loki hastily pushed it away in favor of taking stock of his current situation. 

What had followed Thor’s departure? He racked his brain for even a glimmer of a memory, and ultimately came up with nothing. 

Meaning he had most definitely been drugged. 

Which, while not unexpected, given his current state of mind, was certainly not a comforting thought. 

“Mr. Odinson?” 

“Not--” Loki coughed, once, and blinked rapidly as the figure before him swam lazily into view. 

The man was tall and shrewd, perched on a chair facing backward, his arms propped on the the backrest as he eyed Loki through a narrowed gaze. 

“Not Odinson.” Loki managed to get out, at last, the words gravelly and low, even as he fought to control them. 

It was only after he had spoken the words that Loki realized that revealing his illegitimacy by birth to a complete stranger, and more certainly by the minute a hostile force, might not have been the best course of action. 

Then again, when had he ever paused to consider the best course of action when drugged and immobile? 

“Ah,” the man responded, raising one brow lazily as if the fact did not bother him either way. “But you are a brother of Thor.” 

Ah, and therein lay the truth of the matter. 

Which, as it turned out, Loki considered something of a relief. 

The only other reason he might have been abducted on Midgard would, more likely than not, have had to do with some of his more...questionable decisions, from years past. 

“Well,” he grit out, forcing a small smile onto his face as he met the man’s eyes with a considerable amount of effort. “It depends on how you--” 

He was cut off, then, by an unseen figure striking at his stomach, causing Loki to fall forward with a sharp and pained inhale.

He snarled in irritation, once he registered what had happened, and fought to straighten himself even as the world began to spin rapidly out of control again. 

He had survived worse than this, he reminded himself with another steadying inhale through the nose. 

Had survived _far_ worse than this. 

Why then--

“Do you like it?” the man across from him called out and, when Loki finally composed himself enough to sit back up, offered a small smile. 

“It’s a particularly potent drug. Almost immediately deadly, when consumed by one of us, but uh--” the grin on his face grew, and Loki found that he did not like the glint behind it at all.

“Just potent enough to significantly enhance pain, for someone with your more...unique anatomy.” 

After a moment, the words sunk in, and Loki felt his stomach flip at the implication behind them, though he fought to keep his expression cool and disinterested. 

“Laughable that you even pretend to understand my ‘unique’ anatomy.” he replied, and bared his teeth in a half snarl, half grin. “What do you want from me?” 

“From you?” the man repeated and, for the first time, he seemed almost genuine. “Nothing.” 

Loki paused, and would have blinked in surprise, were his lids not quite so heavy. 

Why then--

“It is not you that I am interested in.” the man informed with a small, dismissive wave of his hand. 

Ah, that made more sense. 

If the man was interested in Thor, coming after another member of the royal family was a logical next step. 

Loki would have almost been impressed, were it not also an entirely predictable one. 

He’d nearly been kidnapped a handful of times during his youth, after all, and always for one similar cause;

To get to the current most important member in the Asgardian line of royalty.

So this, this made sense. 

What made less sense, however, were the man’s next words. 

“No, I am not interested in you.” he raised his right hand then, and Loki watched in something like distant fascination as he snapped his fingers, once, and signalled to someone over his shoulder. 

“What I am interested in is your pain.” 

\---

“I have found a trace of him.” 

“You what?” Val practically yelled, and hastily crossed Thor’s living room to stand beside the dining table where Heimdall had been sat, hunched and determinedly concentrated, for the better part of the last three hours. “How?” 

“Prince Loki has possessed a talent for evading my gaze almost as long as I have known him,” Heimdall informed with a small, almost imperceptible smile. “It was not easy.” 

“But you did it.” Val prodded impatiently, not particularly in the mood for the former Gatekeeper’s cryptic words, this afternoon. “How?” 

“His energy signature is…” Heimdall frowned, and something like careful contemplation crossed his features for a moment. “Almost impossible to miss, especially compared to those on Midgard.” 

The Valkyrie frowned at the words. 

“But you couldn’t find it earlier.” she continued, the words not a question. “Why?” 

“He…” Heimdall trailed off, and seemed almost to hesitate, were Val not certain that he was incapable of such a thing. 

Not in the time she had known him, at any rate. 

“It _was_ hidden to me.” the Gatekeeper admitted, at length. “Until now.” 

A sudden trepidation made the skin at the back of Val’s neck prickle uncomfortably, and she fought the urge to rub at the sudden goosebumps on her arms as she took another step closer to Heimdall. 

“Why?” she repeated. 

There was a beat, before Heimdall turned to meet her gaze.

And, to Val’s surprise, his own golden one was almost staggeringly regretful. 

“Because he has only just released his hold on the cloak of secrecy shielding his whereabouts.” he informed. 

Val blinked. 

She had known that Loki kept the glamour on at most times, of course. There were few who weren’t aware of his twitciness when it came to privacy, even where Heimdall’s gaze was concerned. 

Or, more like _especially_ where it was concerned. 

What concerned her was the fact that Loki had dropped it now. 

“Why now?” Val voiced the question swimming at the forefront of her mind, before she lost her nerve to hear the answer. 

“I can think of two reasons.” Heimdall replied with a small incline of his head. “Either the prince is calling for help…” 

“Or?” Val prodded her heart already beginning to hammer in her chest. 

“Or,” Heimdall repeated, his eyes going distant again as he turned to gaze at something unseen. 

“He is in great pain.” 

\---

Loki grunted as the hidden figure to his right struck another blow to his ribs, before disappearing back into the shadows. 

“See how he suffers?” the Man (and when he had become the Man, Loki did not know, beyond his relative certainty that he was the leader of the small band of individuals) at the opposite end of the room smirked at a small camera phone that was mounted in the corner, ignoring Loki almost entirely, now. “This could all be over. It’s your call.” 

He reached out and clicked a small button on the phone, before turning on his heel, the smirk on his face falling into a scowl. 

“He still does not answer!” he growled to one of the figures behind Loki.

Loki wasn’t sure how long it had been since he’d awoken, now. 

Following the Man’s declaration, earlier, he had been given another dose of whatever they had drugged him with, before he could regain himself enough to fight against the injection.

From there, a number of figures had taken turns stepping forward to strike him while the Man remained where he was stood across from Loki, and filmed the ordeal in segments. 

In each, he addressed Thor, each time referencing a previously determined ransom or a price, before seemingly sending the videos to an unknown source with obviously decreasing patience. 

Which, Loki was able to determine past his still swimming mind, meant that the small group of abductors was laughably misinformed. 

Asgard was not a wealthy people, and had not been since their hasty departure from their home realm. 

It was more likely than not, therefore, that the group who had abducted him knew Thor more as “Thor the Avenger”, and less as the King of Asgard. 

This, coupled with their almost clumsy and disorganized methods of torture, told Loki that all he was dealing with was a group of ameteurs, after a small payment and nothing more. 

The fact was far from comforting, however. Rather, it only increased the sting that came with the realization that he probably could have easily escaped or outwitted the group in minutes, were he at all in his right state of mind. 

As it stood, however, he was not. 

Loki hissed as the Man, having somehow crossed the room without him noticing, struck him across his already swollen face.

“Why does he not answer?” he demanded, and reached forward to grip at the hair at the back of Loki’s head, yanking so that his throat was bared. 

“Your efforts are wasted.” Loki hissed, and worked his throat a moment before managing to spit at the Man, and felt a small surge of satisfaction when the glob of saliva landed on the front of the Man’s jacket. “He won’t come.” 

A blatant lie, and not one of Loki’s best. He knew his brother, and knew that, were Thor actually receiving the videos the man was sending out, there was a good chance that he would be breaking down the door of wherever Loki was being held within the next hour, his own safety be damned. 

Not, Loki considered, that these particular assailants would have even a hope of threatening Thor’s safety, in the face of his rage. 

“You lie!” the Man snarled, and landed a blow to Loki’s ribs. 

_Obviously_ , Loki thought, though he did not bother to reply, instead focussing his attention on breathing through the pain that shouldn’t have been as incapacitating as it was. 

He’d faced far worse, after all. This was nothing. 

Rationally, he knew that it was the drug still coursing through his system, causing each blow to seem triply intensified, each of his nerves seeming raw and exposed to the pain, causing him to remain painfully aware of each new wound he received. 

And yet Loki could not fight the sense of _wrongness_ tugging at the back of his mind, nor the frustration he could feel building at his own continued weakness. 

“We will move on.” the Man before him instructed, straightening in a determined manner before crossing the room to stand beside the phone, again. “There are other methods of pain.” 

The small _beep_ that signified the recording having started echoed across the room, and Loki tensed automatically, willing himself to remain aware enough to sense what direction his next assault might be coming from. 

A movement caught his eye, then, and Loki had just enough time to shift his attention to the figure approaching before a knife was pressed to his right arm, slicing neatly at the sleeve of his shirt until it fell to bunch around his wrist. 

Loki felt his breaths beginning to leave him with increasing shallowness as he watched, morbidly fascinated, as the sharp side of the blade came to rest against the skin of his shoulder.

“I will tell you once again.” the Man was saying to the camera. “You have the power to stop this. You know of our demands. You need only meet them.” 

He nodded, once, and immediately Loki sucked in a sharp breath as he felt the blade sink into the flesh of his arm. 

So far, he had hardly made a sound at the continued abuse. Now, however, he grit his teeth against the yelp that wanted to escape as the knife continued to carve at his skin, his blood hot as it dribbled down his arm. 

The blade moved away for a moment, and Loki exhaled a tremulous breath, allowing his eyes to slip closed as he began to tremble against the near overwhelming sensations--

“ _Ah!_ ” he did cry out, then, and curled slightly forward as the knife returned, carving now at the skin near his elbow. 

“This could all be over.” the man continued tonelessly. 

_Fuck you_ , Loki thought savagely. 

( _Let it be over_ ). 

( _He would not beg_ ).

Another cut, and the world began to spin again. 

( _Thor_ ). 

“If only--” 

A dim sound from outside the room interrupted the man’s tirade, and there was only a second of silence before the sound of a door bursting open registered, followed almost immediately by a righteous battle cry ringing out. 

Loki swallowed, and forced his eyes open. 

The battle taking place around him made his already swimming head spin, though Loki was able to make out two new figures in the room, each quickly and efficiently cutting down those foolish enough to approach them. 

The fight was over with almost embarrassing quickness, and Loki had just enough presence of mind to recognize the sword that had been run through the group leader’s chest, before a blessedly familiar figure appeared in his line of vision. 

“Alright, Highness?” the Valkyrie inquired, and flashed a grin before kneeling to assess his injuries, a small furrow between her brows. 

Loki huffed, and managed a small smile of his own before he tilted forward--

And into oblivion. 

\---

Once Heimdall had picked up on Loki’s location, finding the group of kidnappers had been almost laughably easy. 

The Valkyrie was prepared to go alone, her sword at her hip and a deep anger beginning to flare to life within her chest, only for Heimdall to insist that he accompany her. 

So the two of them had set out, Heimdall driving the truck with a silent, cool confidence, following some mental map toward where he believed Loki was being held. 

To Val’s surprise and, ultimately, relief, the base (more of a worn down shack of a house, really) was only an hour outside of New Asgard. 

Either the kidnappers were righteously confident, or ridiculously stupid. 

Not that she particularly cared, nor did she really give a shit about why they had taken Loki in the first place. 

What mattered, ultimately, was that they were dead, and that Loki wounds, while not particularly fatal, were properly tended to. 

When they had found the prince, Loki was hardly coherent, and only managed to murmur a few, unintelligible words before he fell into unconsciousness, leaving Val to take most of his weight as Heimdall quickly bandaged the worst of the lacerations on his arm. 

He’d been drugged, Val concluded, if they hazy disconnect she’d caught behind his eyes before they’d slipped shut was any indication. 

She’d seen plenty of similar cases on Sakaar, though the idea of such heavy drugs being present (not to mention readily accessible) on Midgard was a bit disconcerting. 

It was also a problem for later, when she wasn’t preoccupied by the crown prince of Asgard currently slumped against her shoulder as they drove back toward New Asgard in silence.

The peace did not last long, however, for not halfway through the trip the phone in Val’s pocket began to ring obnoxiously. 

To her left, Heimdall did not take his eyes off of where they were trained with an almost unnerving focus on the road, though Loki did shift slightly at the noise. 

“Shit,” Val muttered, and quickly drew the device out of her pocket before answering the call without bothering to check who it was. 

She had a feeling that she knew, anyway. 

“Val!” the force of the cry on the other end of the line made the Valkyrie draw the phone away from her ear with a wince. “It’s Loki. He--” 

“We know.” Val interrupted. 

“He’s been--” 

“We _know_.” Val repeated with a small roll of her eyes. “We’ve got it.” 

“You--” Thor cut himself off, and Val could practically see the confused wrinkle of his brow, and the way his features would be creased in worry. 

“Where is he?” he demanded, at length. 

“He’s here.” Val informed, and grimaced when Loki shifted again. “He’s resting.” 

The sound of a long and weary exhale came from the phone. 

“He’s safe?” Thor inquired, after a moment. 

“He is.” the Valkyrie confirmed. 

“What happened?” 

There was a brief pause, and the Valkyrie bit her lip slightly to buy herself some time to gather her thoughts. 

In truth…

“I’m not sure.” she admitted, at last. “He was just--gone.” 

“Did he leave?” Thor asked and, when Val answered a negative and explained what she’d found in the house, he paused thoughtfully. 

“They knew he was in New Asgard.” he muttered, at length. “They were able to get in.” 

Which was, Val considered, not entirely surprising. They did not have the means to develop a particularly strong security system, nor had they had the need for one until--

Well, until now. 

“How is he?” Thor asked. “He--his injuries--” 

“Not as bad as they could be.” Val reassured. “Though he’s sleeping off some kind of drug.” 

Thor made a low growling noise, and the Valkyrie quickly shifted the subject to avoid being on the receiving end of the God of Thunder’s temper. 

“How did you know?” 

“They--the man--” Thor audibly exhaled again. “They took pictures. Videos, and sent them to my--my phone.”

Something ugly within Val twisted at the words. The idea that these men had taken and hurt Loki was bad enough, but to have documented the violence inflicted upon him… 

“Th--” the sound of Loki slurring drew her roughly back to the present, and Val turned to watch as he blinked, before slowly shifting in an attempt to right himself. 

“Careful,” Val warned, and reached a hand out to lay it gently on his arm. 

Which, as it turned out, was a bad move. For almost as soon as her fingers brushed his arm, Loki flinched violently, and reeled back with enough force to smack his head on the car window. 

“Careful!” the Valkyrie repeated. 

“What--” Loki began, his eyes flickering wildly over his surroundings as if he was having difficulty registering them. 

“You’re in the truck.” Val informed him gently. “It’s me, Val, and Heimdall--” 

“Is that Loki?” Thor demanded, and Val startled slightly, nearly having forgotten that he was still on the line. “Is he alright?”

“He’s fine.” she informed quickly, before turning her attention back to where Loki was still pressed against the opposite side of the car, breathing heavily and eyeing her warily. “Loki?”

“You--” Loki frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly as they fell to the phone pressed against her ear. “Is--” 

Oh, of _course_. 

Val fought the urge to roll her eyes as she shifted to extend the device in Loki’s direction, not missing the way he flinched slightly at the movement. 

“It’s Thor.” she informed, something within her warming at the flicker of hope in Loki’s eyes. “You can talk to him, if you want.”

Loki hesitated, his gaze alternating between her expression and the outstretched device, before he reached out to clumsily take the phone in one shaking hand. 

“Thor--” 

“ _Loki_ ,” Val could still clearly make out Thor’s voice, and the unmasked relief coloring his tone. “Are you alright?” 

“I--” Loki paused, hiccupped, and--

And, to the Valkyrie’s abject horror, began to cry, his eyes squeezing shut the second the first two, fat tears rolled down his cheeks. 

Behind her, Val could feel Heimdall stiffen, though he still did not turn.

“Hey,” Thor’s voice lowered slightly, “It’s alright, Loki. I’m--It’ll be alright.” 

“ _Thor_ ,” Loki repeated, the word little more than a whimper. “I--”

“Hush,” Thor commanded, gently. “It’s alright. Did they--” he paused and, though Val could not see him, she knew that he was composing himself. “Are you alright?” 

Loki nodded jerkily and, seeming to realize that Thor could not see him, muttered a small, “‘M fine.” 

There was a pause, and Val knew that, were Thor here, he would no doubt be pegging Loki with a reproachful look at the obvious lie. 

As it were, she found that she could not quite bring herself to do the same, in his absence. 

“You are.” Thor agreed, instead. “Everything’s going to be alright, now. You were brave, Loki.” 

Ordinarily, the Valkyrie considered, the younger Odinson would have bristled at the words, more likely than not considered them “patronizing”. 

Now, however, his features simply twisted further, and he sniffled loudly in response. 

“Will--” Loki paused, and inhaled a tremulous breath before trying again, “Are you--” 

“I’m already on my way back.” Thor reassured, to which Loki practically wilted in relief. “Just waiting on my flight. I should be back by tonight.”

Loki nodded again, and raised a hand to scrub at his eyes in a gesture so childlike Val felt her heart twist slightly at the sight of it. 

“Alright.” 

“You’ll be alright?” Thor inquired anxiously, as if he could single handedly speed his returning flight home if Loki answered negatively. 

Not that Val didn’t entirely disbelieve that he might try. 

Loki hummed, and seemed close to composing himself, only for his next inhale to break off into another small sob. 

“ _Loki_ ,” Thor insisted, though there was an aching sorrow behind the tone. 

“Yeah,” Loki managed with another sharp nod. “Yes.” 

It wasn’t entirely convincing, but, given the circumstances, it seemed the best he could offer. 

On the other end of the line, Thor sighed, though he seemed to have come to a similar conclusion. 

“Alright,” he agreed softly. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just--I’ll be there.” 

He sounded pained, and Val realized for the first time that this--this enforced distance as Loki sat, drugged and bleeding and _crying_ , was probably as painful for him as it was for Loki. 

If not more so. 

“Alright,” Loki repeated with another soft exhale. 

“I love you,” Thor murmured and, when something in Loki’s expression crumpled, Val felt the ridiculous urge to glance away, as if she were invading on an intensely private moment. 

_Norns_ , she thought, these two were really a piece of work. 

Loki hummed, and muttered something like a reply, too low for Val to hear, before he shifted and extended the phone wordlessly in her direction. 

“Take care of him.” Thor demanded, the second Val had drawn it back to her ear. 

“Wasn’t planning on doing much else with my day.” she replied, before sobering slightly. “He’ll be alright, Thor.” 

“I know,” Thor muttered, his tone suddenly, almost unbearably sad. 

“I’ll be back soon,” he reminded. “Tell him that, if he gets…” 

“I will.” Val reassured, when it seemed that he was not going to finish the thought. “See you soon.” 

She ended the call, and the only sound left in the small space of the car was Loki’s still uneven breaths, as he continued to fight to get himself back under control. 

Val paused, a little reluctant to turn and address him, now, though she knew that she could not avoid it forever. 

“Alright?” she inquired, forcing herself to face where Loki was still hunched against the far door, wiping hastily at his face with shaking hands.

He paused at the sound of her voice, and seemed to consider the question for a moment before he nodded, once. 

“Alright.” she replied, knowing that it was likely to be the best reply she would receive, at the present moment. “You can go back to sleep if you want. We’ve still half an hour until we get back.” 

Loki eyed her for a moment, before he turned gaze listlessly at the dashboard and wavered almost imperceptibly in place, an undeniable tell of hold the drug still had on him. 

The Valkyrie cursed herself for not having thought to bring even a bottle of water to help him flush it out of his system, though in truth…

She really hadn’t been expecting _this_. 

A shaky inhale drew her back to the present moment, and Val turned to watch as Loki’s features pinched into a small frown, his shoulders hunching a little miserably. 

“Hey,” she muttered, working to keep her tone low and comforting. “He’ll be back soon.”

Loki nodded jerkily again, though he remained with his gaze fixed firmly ahead, his knuckles paling slightly as he gripped the seat below tightly. 

With a small sigh, Val risked reaching out again, and was pleased to find that Loki did not flinch back, though he did tense slightly as her arm settled gently over his shoulders. 

“It’ll be alright.” she reminded. “You’re okay.” 

Loki did not reply, though some of the tension did leave his frame, and Val knew him well enough to count it as a victory. 

They lapsed into a comfortable silence and, by the time they began to head up the cliffs toward their village, Loki had nodded off, again. 

And, even as the truck crested the familiar cliffside that led into New Asgard, Val did not remove her arm from around Loki’s shoulders, her heart slowing for what felt like the first time since she’d discovered him missing. 

_You’ll both be the death of me_ , she thought.

Though, unsurprisingly, she found that she didn’t really care. 

**Author's Note:**

> yes, Val and Heimdall are gonna have to go back and clean up their mess before anyone finds it. no, i did not feel like writing that in. 
> 
> also! i'm pretty much reading prompts and pounding these one-shots out the Day Of, so they are probably _riddled_ with mistakes, as i'm not doing my usual "re-read and edit 1million times before posting" thing. if this is the case, i'm so sorry!
> 
> as always, hmu at my tumblr [here!](http://littlekinng.tumblr.com)


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